A Symphony of Fire and Ice
by nerdymum
Summary: It is forty-five years after the Reaper Wars and Dr. Mya Matthews has made a discovery that just may change the galaxy again. With the help of Deylos Krios, grandson of the legendary Hero and assassin Thane Krios, and a few other key players she goes on an adventure to keep her treasure out of dangerous hands.


Disclaimer: This is strictly fan-fiction and not written or shared for any monetary profit. Mass Effect and all recognizable names, places, or races are property of Bioware.

Chapter 1: KAT

"Secret agent man! Secret agent man! They've given you a number, and taken away your name." Secret Agent Man, Johnny Rivers 1966

Vashta City, Kahje

Approximately 45 years after the end of the Reaper Wars

She had a good job; no, a great job! After working her way up the so-called corporate ladder Kayta Leiseh could claim with pride over Nyahir lunch that she was in a comfortable position in her life. She could look over the table at her successful lawyer of a brother and her overwhelmingly popular vocalist of a sister that she was the personal assistant to the CEO of Kahje Alert Teams. She felt a swelling of pride in her heart as she sat down at her desk, with her own name on the brass plate before her terminal, and her own customized comfy chair (ah, Corellian leather!).

Kayta began her day like all other days at KAT by checking the extranet for messages, news that related to the wildly successful firm, and highlighting anything of interest for Sere Krios to look over in his spare time. She meekly adjusted the pale coral-colored veil over her crested head and tapped her communicator on to await any calls which she got to filter for her boss.

The first few calls were simply clients he had personally dealt with before and she scanned through his calendar to see if any dates were available for them to meet. She yawned, drank from her cup of tea, and continued to work. The fifth call she answered sent her into super professional mode. Her back stiffened and her eyes went from a sparkle to an intent shine. Her phone voice deepened from happy, perky female drell to serious and determined professional assistant.

"Yes, of course, your Honor; let me check and see if he is available," she placed the call on hold and patched into the intercom.

"Sere," she spoke firmly. A second later a light tenor male voice responded.

"Yes, Kayta?"

"You may want to take the current call, Sere Krios. It's, well, it's the Salarian representative of the Citadel Council." Without delay the CEO gave the okay and allowed her to patch the call to his terminal. Kayta began to bite on her nails with anticipation, extremely curious about what the important call could possibly be about.

Behind the large black door that read "Kolyat Krios, CEO" was an expansive office only extremely wealthy men were privileged to have. In that expansive room were pieces of valuable furniture and focal points (mostly purchased by his wife Dana) screaming "I'm rich". Kolyat knew that the office was to evoke some kind of power on his part. If he had it his way he would've gladly taken one of the more humble cubicles in the office workers' area downstairs. Atlon, however, wouldn't have it. He firmly stated that the owner of a large and successful company like KAT needed to prove that he was important enough to have an office where the desk cost just as much as said office worker's yearly wages. Kolyat gave up because there was no use in arguing with Atlon. And Atlon had already bought the desk for his Naming Day.

Kolyat paced behind the desk, which was large enough to be used as a family dinner table (several guests included) and began the conversation with the Councilor. He anticipated an assistant to be on the other end, and was taken back when he realized it was the Dalatrass Orulessa herself.

"Kolyat Krios speaking."

"Sere Krios, greetings. How are you this day?" she spoke with the quick cadence of the salarians but also with extreme kindness that was rare among politicians.

"As well as a busy businessman can get, your Honor. Is there something I can do for you?" The Councilor began to tell Kolyat what she needed from him and he listened with undivided attention. His full lips pulled into a tight line and his eyes narrowed soberly.

"Of course, your Honor, I'll speak with him immediately and I'll personally contact you myself when he gives me an answer." The conversation ended and Kolyat walked away from the huge, granite topped desk and towards the door.

Kayta tried to keep focused on her job and not to spy on the call. She absently reapplied a blue-toned lip gloss, which accented her pretty lime-yellow skin just perfectly and started reading about her favorite movie celebrity. A loud smack of paper files on the end of her desk made her jump, almost out of her favored seat, and look up from her terminal. She covered her grief with a practiced smile, a smile that was almost too big for the interruption. It was Atlon Krios who forced the faux grin onto her mouth.

He flashed a crooked smirk while leaning casually on her desk. On the outside he was handsome, charming, and well-spoken. With his aqua-toned skin and dark grey eyes he was considerably one of the better looking bachelors on Kahje. But Atlon's problem lied within his inability to pull back the chauvinism; he talked about himself constantly. He could be annoying at times and also managed to overstay his welcome.

"Hello, Kayta," Atlon said in a schmoozing tone. "How are things this fine morning?" Kayta felt her mind panic and secretly wished she could hide into a memory lapse. She absently toyed with a stylus for her omni-tool and grit her teeth behind her lips in an effort to keep the grin on. The muscles in her cheeks began to strain.

. "Uh, busy. It's been a busy morning, as most mornings usually are, because your father is a very busy man," she swallowed loudly.

Atlon puffed out his chest with pride as he began his usual routine of trying to impress. The perk of being the son of one of the most important entrepreneurs on Kahje was the ability to gain status within corporate circles. Atlon did pay his dues and certainly worked hard to get the position he had, but he was also proud to flash a holocard of his name stating that he was the VP of the company.

"Well, I had been working on the quarterly report based on our income for the PI departments, and comparing that to our fieldwork agents that added to a comparison percentage of around muffle, muffle, fuzz, fuzz…" she attempted to tune out his long-winded speech. Every so often she would interject the necessary "Uh-huhs", "yeses" and even an "oh, that's interesting". Kayta was learning the art of lying thanks to Atlon.

"So, are you doing anything this evening? Any big plans?" he asked as he leaned closer, grinning from frill to frill. Kayta desperately searched her mind for an acceptable excuse.

"My sister is out of town, visiting a relative in New Rakhana, and asked me if I would watch Teeta. He's her salamander." It was the truth but Teeta was a solitary amphibian who preferred his own company. Kayta really didn't like the goanna-sized creature but getting nipped at the heels by his strong jaws was better than Atlon's insufferable self-importance.

"Oh, well, if you give me the address I can bring you dinner and we could-" Atlon was quickly cut off as Kolyat walked out the door. Kayta stood to her feet at absolute attention. He turned to his youngest son and nodded to him.

"Atlon," he greeted shortly. Atlon stepped away from the desk and pulled his back into perfect posture as he declined his head to Kolyat.

"Father," he returned. Kolyat turned to Kayta and placed a hand on her shoulder. He never touched her unless something was serious.

"Kayta, find me 'Raptor'." Kayta felt her blood race and her mouth go dry. She simply nodded and sat back down into her chair to track down the current location of KAT's greatest asset, their top super agent.

O . . . O . . . O

Sere Deylos "The Raptor" Krios was practicing sword work in the company gym. And he was incredibly good at it. His body had been honed to be an instrument of strength and skill in order to perform any job that was at stake. The job often involved a lot of fighting, escaping bad situations and, at times, getting rid of a "problem" permanently. He didn't like to call himself an assassin, but he had taken a few fatal shots in his career and he never missed his mark. Due to his level of precision and perfection several drell, and even a few others outside of Kahje, came to know him as "The Second Thane".

In fact, looking at Deylos from a distance often evoked the memory of the Reaper War Hero, his belated grandfather Thane Krios. There were several similarities the two held such as vocal tone, facial structure; even the style of work ethic nearly mirrored the legendary assassin's. But Deylos hated to be compared to a man he thought of as his personal superhero. He kept his insecurities to himself, however, and even used that self-hatred to make him better, stronger, and faster in his tasks.

He tended to be a bit of a recluse and somewhat rebellious. He didn't have much care for office work and when he was forced to sit behind a desk for corporate meetings involving him he often fidgeted and fumbled until the sessions were over. His first love was field work. It was what he was born to do; to be an instrument of representation for the company.

Atlon stepped into the company gym and watched his older brother swing the heavy sword over his head. He winced when the blade came close to slicing off the two tungsten carbide hoops permanently pierced into Deylos' left frill and decided to stay right up against the wall. Loud music echoed across the expanse of the room, loud enough he could feel the beat pulse against his heartbeat. To announce his presence he used his omni-tool to shut the noise off. It had been loud enough his ears rang once the sounds died away.

"What do you want?" the graveled, velvety dark voice asked. His peacock green eyes met Atlon's gaze and revealed that the arrival of his brother had him annoyed for the interruption.

"Good to know you're keeping up with the current trends; nicely done, Deylos!" the younger man retorted with sarcasm in regards to the music he silenced. Deylos, still swinging the sword around, frowned darkly.

"Unless you're here for something important I suggest you leave me in peace. I don't need your snide comments to accompany my exercise routines."

"Father needs to see you," Atlon changed his tone and watched him immediately stop his work. He swung the weapon down and carefully deposited it back into the scabbard hooked onto the wall before running out the door towards the elevator. Atlon followed at a much slower, less worked, pace, sighing a long, lingering note as he did so.

Deylos jogged up the hallway on the executive offices floor and stopped before the desk of his father's assistant. He watched, with some amusement, as the young woman rose to her feet, neck flushing purple against the soft blue of her throat, and bowed in respect to him. A seductive grin snaked crookedly up his pouty lips as he returned the polite greeting. She was young, just out of University, but not too young, he thought brashly as he mentally painted a picture of luring her into his bed.

"Good morning, Sana," he spoke, "I was told my father requested to speak with me."

Kayta dropped her gaze, eyelids fluttering with deep admiration, as a genuine smile lit on her face. She toyed with the weights of the veil absently and pressed the com button into Kolyat's office as she announced Deylos to his father.

"Go on in, Sere," she blushed again. "May I get you a tea or something?"

"No, thank you," Deylos shook his head and winked as he pushed into the office.

Kolyat looked up to see his eldest son enter, standing pin straight with his arms folded behind his back.

"Father, you asked for me?" Deylos saw the look on his father's face and knew that Atlon wasn't being melodramatic. Something was either very important or very wrong. Or both.

Kolyat blinked and felt himself fall into a memory. It was so strange to look at his own offspring and see parts of his father staring back at him.

_He smiles weakly at me, hands clenched tightly together so they don't tremble. I don't want to look at him, I want to hate him. My eyes are still stinging from the tears I cannot stop. The C-Sec officer Bailey is forcing me to do community service as opposed to jail time. I know Father has something to do with that. I don't know whether to feel grateful or insulted. He exhales, begins to speak._

_"Kolyat, I cannot begin to express my sorrow and guilt. I can only ask, with the time I have left, we can forgive each other for our transgressions. And if you can't forgive me I understand."_

_I steal a glance at him. I am so angry! So angry! But he is weeping. My father is weeping in front of me…_

"Father?" Deylos' raspy voice jerked Kolyat from the sad memory. He smiled weakly and shook his head.

"Forgive me, son, a passing moment there. I just received an interesting call a few moments ago. Ah, Atlon! Decided to join the conversation?" the patriarch of the family asked as the younger brother entered the office.

"Curiosity, mainly, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Now, as I was saying, I received a call from the Citadel Council. It was the Dalatrass Orulessa asking us for help with a very serious matter. Deylos, you have been requested to act as both a bodyguard and a shadow-walker to a human scientist. The laboratory partner is secretly the next Salarian Councilor and he suspects that their lives are in danger. He fears that someone wants to take whatever it is they are currently working on and use it as a weapon. Unfortunately, she couldn't give me too much more information than that unless you agree to take the case."

Deylos felt his brow lower over his eyes as he weighed the vague explanation.

"Where are they located?" he asked, hoping to divulge anything else.

"Earth, in the city of New York, working in the University. It must be serious for the Councilor to contact me herself. She seemed to me to be quite nervous, even for a salarian," Kolyat explained. "How does your schedule look?" Before Deylos could speak Atlon had opened his omnitool and began to rattle off current cases that involved his brother's participation.

"Nothing major, except for the constant barrage of updates sent to him via the Spectres. Apparently the Asari Councilor still wants proof. She is one arrogant politician, if you ask me," the younger Krios shrugged.

"I didn't," Deylos snorted. He barely tolerated Atlon's arrogance and his "humble opinions" which was his excuse for spouting off proudly. Kolyat raised his hands to end the argument before it became ugly. Putting the two brothers into a room together was like trying to mix oil and water.

"Fine. So, other than the Spectre business you're pretty much free and clear, yes?"

"Yes," Deylos nodded. "Do you have an estimated time on how long the case would take?"

"Again," Kolyat sighed and walked around his large desk, glancing at a holo of his lovely wife, "there was little she could tell me unless we agreed to the case. I know that it's not enough info to give you to base a decision on, Deylos, but I trust your judgment. If you don't want to take the case I will understand. I won't force any pressure on you, son."

Deylos rubbed his black marked chin, deep in thought. He felt the constant pressure of the promise of becoming a Spectre, knowing that they had been watching him for a few years. The Drell had never been elected into the elite law enforcement group and to even be nominated was a huge honor. However, Deylos wasn't sure he even wanted the position.

"Contact the Councilor and let her know that I have agreed. I want all the info that can be deferred sent directly to my terminal encoded. She'll understand," he spoke, and again Kolyat felt a chill run up his spine. He saw flashes of his father in his mind. He nodded slowly.

"Of course, son. Atlon, get Aris and Etro up here. With Deylos away from KAT for an unknown amount of time they're going to have to step up their game." Atlon nodded solemnly and created a memo to the other agents. Kolyat smiled weakly at Deylos and patted his shoulder.

"Good luck, and be safe." Deylos bowed to his father, his hand going to his heart.

"As always," he promised.

Kayta stood from her seat when the door opened and her heart skipped again when Deylos exited. He smiled that grin and she felt her resolve begin to melt so she quickly bowed to hide her bashfulness.

"Sere," she greeted.

"Kayta, could you let all my contacts know that I will be out of commission for an unknown length of time" he asked politely. Kayta nodded and opened her terminal to the list of the agent's main contacts.

"Of course. Anything else I could do for you?" she smiled.

Temptation to draw away from her desk made his mouth dry and his heart race. He could easily take her. He could easily have her wrapped around his finger, but he could also break her heart. He took a step back and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"No, thank you, Sana," he bowed his head and started down the hall.

Kayta swallowed the hard lump that had built in her throat and scanned over Deylos' contact list. She sent a quick note to all and slowly sat back down in her seat, grabbing her tea mug with shaking hands. She had a deep, penetrating feeling that she wouldn't be seeing him again for a very long time.

O . . . O . . . O

He knew he had a promise to keep and he rarely ever broke one unless it was out of his control. He paced down the streets at a slow, measured stride, avoiding any stares he met. For whatever insane reason he could never understand the Priesthood decided to build the temple to the traditional polytheistic religion on the shoreline away from the comforts and protection of the force-field domes covering the cities and the thought of walking out into the warm, penetrating rains that was Kahje's weather made him even more contrary than before. He passed under the arching exit and threw his coat's hood low over his face. Immediately, the heavy rains weighed down the thick leather of his armored coat and his spirit. If he had it his way he wouldn't have planned the meeting at the temple, but since he always gave in to her he agreed without so much of a grunt of complaint.

Deylos entered the temple with some discomfort and kept his hood low enough to shadow his features. There were only a few drell present in the pews focused on their own prayers to whatever god they were sending alms to. He paused by the statue of Amonkira represented by a massive male fierce of face and hand clutching to a tall spear. Gifts of fine leathers and furs were placed at the god's feet. He took a red candle and lit the fresh wick on a burning one, taking it with him to one of the pews near the back. He stared at the candle; the small flame flickered slightly as he breathed.

It had been some time since he prayed to any god or stepped foot in the small yet decorative structure. It still smelled of the spicy incense they lit during ceremonies on holy days and it took him back to times when he fought with his mother and father on weekend mornings when they drug him out of bed to attend Sabbath. He almost smiled as he remembered howling all the way to the temple inside the shuttle car, complaining that the priest was a fat, old, boring miser who took too long to talk about things everyone already knew. Those were the moments when dear Dana Krios would turn around in her seat, teal green eyes narrowed in warning as she shook her finger at him.

"Deylos, another word and you're grounded!" she would threaten in her soft voice. The boy would often retreat in silence and pout the entire time until Sabbath was over, usually the first one to run to the car.

His mind went away from the fond memories of being a stubborn child and back onto the new mission he had taken. Reading the information he decoded from his console left him in a dower mood. His missions as of late had been getting more and more dangerous. The last one was proof of that, he recalled as he touched the two tungsten carbide hoops pierced into his left frill. He nearly failed.

. The warm flame flickered as he breathed, drawing into a calm, hypnotic state. He sighed and closed his eyes and he attempted to pray. The feelings of anxiety, self-doubt, and frustration began to melt away. Finally, the words of the prayer entered his mind and he allowed himself to fall into a peaceful lull.

_Amonkira, lord of hunters, grant my hands be steady, my feet be swift, my mind cleared. Amonkira, king of battles, grant me a calm heart and a strong breath. Amonkira, feared by my enemies, grant me success in my tasks. Grant me victory. Let my pride not best me. Let my head not be filled with useless lusts. Let my stomach not be filled with boasting. And should I falter in my quest…_

He opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. The skylights showed the infinite clouds that covered Kahje. His heart skipped a beat, a strange feeling of uncontrollable fear that almost overwhelmed him.

"Grant me forgiveness," he whispered.

An hour passed by with the drell agent staring up at the rain clouds when he suddenly realized he wasn't alone. A hand pulled at the edge of his hood and he came face to face with a smiling female of chartreuse skin and grey-teal eyes. She was lovely and garbed in pure white clothes, the veil over her head a rich asari silk.

"Hello, handsome," she greeted quietly. Deylos smiled as she sat down, a white candle in her hands symbolizing the mother goddess Arashu.

"_Straihyana_, Irikah," he greeted as he removed the hood from his head.

"You're early, even for you," she laughed and placed her candle on the holder before their seats. Her laugh softened when she saw the red candle clutched in his fist.

"You got another mission, didn't you?" she asked. Deylos nodded and breathed in deeply.

"I did. How did you know?"

Irikah Idarie smiled and pointed to the candle, a smirk on her face nearly mirroring his.

"You never come to the temple unless you think something bad will happen. The last time you were here was when you went after the Batarian. I remember it didn't end well," she took his free hand and held it in hers. "Are you still coming to dinner?"

"Of course, but I'm afraid I won't be able to stay long. I must leave tomorrow," he informed and Irikah sighed sadly.

"Oh, Deylos! You just got back to Kahje a week ago! Is it that serious?"

"It may be, but I don't know and I can't say much."

"You can't tell me where you're going, can you?" she picked absently at the dripping wax as it cooled down the column.

"I'm afraid not," he shook his head and regarded her with sadness. Irikah smiled weakly and leaned over to kiss his marked cheek, her head dropping to his shoulder.

"At least we'll have some time together then. Aesit misses you dearly. He worships you as though you were his own personal superhero." She heard a snort come from his nose.

"He needs to find a better idol than me," he muttered coldly.

"There's nothing wrong with my son looking up to you. You are his favorite uncle. Don't you dare tell Atlon!" she laughed again. A smile appeared back on Deylos' lips as he thought of his red-skinned nephew running to him and nearly knocking him over with a hug. The boy was strong for a seven year old.

"Don't worry. Atlon doesn't need to know everything, despite what he may think." Irikah nodded in agreement. She loved her youngest brother but she and Deylos always had a deep bond between them, and he often visited or contacted her whenever he could.

"When you are ready we can head to my home," she informed and he nodded, staring back into the red candle's flame. He carried it to the statue of the hunter god and made a quick hand gesture of alms before walking back to his sister, her arm slung casually through his.

"Listen, I know you can't tell me anything, but promise me one thing," she said as they entered his shuttle car.

"Yes?"

"Don't shoot yourself in the foot again," she grinned. A deep laugh rumbled in his chest as he momentarily relived that particular accident.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Not as long as I live, my brother!" she grinned wryly.


End file.
